


Nights on the move

by CrescentViolett



Series: Tales of Fódlan [1]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Comfort, Dreams and Nightmares, F/F, Insomnia, Unravelling of the past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:16:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23311498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrescentViolett/pseuds/CrescentViolett
Summary: During the battle over Fódlan there have always been restless nights, lovers and friends trying to set aside the images of the previous battle in the hope of a good rest. Some fail in this however, and those that do tend to flock together for comfort.
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault/Edelgard von Hresvelg
Series: Tales of Fódlan [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1731295
Comments: 1
Kudos: 27





	Nights on the move

**Imperial year 1182, 13 th day of Harpstring Moon.**

Swords clashed together, arrows flying overhead and her axe tearing through skin with ease as she marched on with her troops. The Empress didn’t stop for anyone, and neither did her allies. The smell of wet mud filled her lungs as the unexpected rain kept pouring down at them. Thunder crashed around them, the bright flashes lighting up the battlefield.

_Wait._

A flash of brown and blue filled empty space with a mighty roar, his troops barely catching breath behind him. Another flash and he was gone, the battlefield empty, a bright sky above them now.

_No._

The ground was filled with flowers that were slowly turning red, a harsh wind causing their petals to fly away. Her hands felt wet, soaked in the same redness as the flowers - her bloodied axe lying beside her. As she turned around she could see him again, the mighty warrior smiling towards her.

_Stop._

Her vision blurred as tears welled up in her eyes. There was Caspar, backed up with his soldiers, all of them-

“Stop!” Edelgard screamed out, sitting upright. She could feel her nightgown sticking to her back, cold sweat running down her spine as she tried to remember as many details as possible.

She sighed. “Why does this keep happening?” Her heart was pounding at the thoughts of her dream, placing a hand on her forehead to wipe it off. Her breathing calmed to an even pace as she recollected the battlefield. It had been on the same spot they had set up camp, more likely just past the mountains they had to cross soon.

_Another battle…? So soon already?_

She stood up. The light in the tent had been extinguished by now; only the dim light of the moon coming through the thin fabric of the tent let her see clearly. They had deliberately chosen to use the summer tents, even when the weather was not optimal yet, to lose less time with the advance. And it had worked; they were deep into Alliance territory and they had yet to come to a stop. Now she wondered if she had made the right decision as cold winds seeped through the tent, coming through every opening. She could handle the cold very well herself, but had seen soldiers struggle in the night, and had ordered blankets to be handed out. It seemed to work for the first few days, but as the rain soaked everything they owned the blankets soon became useless. It was a cold Harpstring Moon - the coldest they'd had in years - with Spring still laying its hands on the lands. The weather had been awful for months - as if it knew what was going on - and soldiers were starting to get sick despite the care the army was providing them. But, over the last few days, the sky had cleared and Summer had finally started to take control.

Edelgard grabbed her cloak – wrapping it tightly around her body – and opened the flap, stepping out into the night. Dozens of tents lay before her, her entire army asleep in them. It was a quiet night, only the sound of guards' footsteps could be heard around the camp. The usual joyful banter had already disappeared a while ago, the embers of a campfire the Empress walked past glowing faintly. She looked up, the moon sitting neatly in the sky among the stars indicated to her it was already past midnight.

_Everyone should be asleep by now. I can’t exactly chat with the guards, can I?_

She sighed again as she walked past the tents of the foot soldiers, and into the area where her higher officers were, where her friends and former classmates were. Most tents were closed, only Caspar’s flap wide open and softly moving with the wind. She saw him without a blanket, and - looking sideways - saw Linhardt had gotten - or rather stolen - his instead. A smile played on her lips. Caspar had always been the same as her in that regard, the temperature didn’t bother him in the slightest and neither did the rain, as long as he could fight.

Another tent caught her eye. This one was open as well, but she hadn’t expected it to be. It was Dorothea’s, the only person alone in a tent, besides Edelgard herself. She walked up to it, silently peeking inside. The beautiful figure of Dorothea Arnault laid in a field bed, blankets thrown off and body shaking heavily, her limbs twisted around each other in a foetus position. The nightgown she was wearing didn’t seem to help fend off the cold in the slightest. Her dress hung from the low-hanging ceiling, the red accents barely visible under the moonlight.

Edelgard stepped inside and grabbed the blanket and shook it so the sand fell off. As she turned towards Dorothea she hesitated, silently admiring the woman’s body before shaking her head and tucking the brown-haired woman in.

This made Dorothea stir, hands reaching out to whoever was holding her and finally grabbing Edelgard’s arm. She turned around to face the person helping her, her eyes working hard to figure out who was lurking over her.

“Edie…?” Dorothea blinked a few times, her body still softly shaking. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry Dorothea, I didn’t mean to wake you.” Edelgard retracted her free hand, softly pulling on the other for Dorothea to let go. She saw the woman feel the blanket, smiling softly up to Edelgard.

“You thought I was cold? That’s sweet of you Edie. I’m actually not cold but rather… well I’m having trouble sleeping, that’s all.” Her hand softly rubbed the white-haired woman’s arm, even pulling her slightly closer.

“Dorothea you were shaking.” Edelgard’s hand spread over the blanket, feeling the woman’s shoulder underneath. Somehow it made her heart skip a beat, the heat radiating from her body went through the fabric with ease.

“That is… nothing. Just something in the past.” Dorothea moved herself to lay on the side, moving all the way to the back of the bed in an almost inviting way. “I figure you couldn’t sleep as well?”

“You are right.”

Dorothea chuckled. “Edie you don’t have to be so formal with me.” She reached her hand towards the Empress, lifting up the blanket and revealing more of her body.

The cheeks of the Empress involuntarily turned red, her eyes darting away from the sight in slight embarrassment. She felt herself being pulled closer to the bed, her thighs stopping at the rim and her torso bending over as Dorothea pulled her even closer. “Want to stay here?” Dorothea said as she let go, giving Edelgard the chance to rise up again.

Edelgard sighed and hung her cloak besides Dorothea’s dress. Almost immediately as she came closer, Dorothea pulled up the covers and traced Edelgard’s back as she moved herself next to Dorothea, the green-eyed woman pulling her even closer so their noses almost touched. The woman couldn’t help but smile as she saw Edelgard’s face redden even more as she moved her hand to her lower back. Edelgard instinctively moved closer, the warmth of Dorothea making feel at ease within seconds.

“Is it okay if I…?” Dorothea moved herself closer, placing her head under Edelgard’s chin, wrapping herself around the woman tightly.

Not knowing what to do Edelgard wrapped her arms around Dorothea as well, nuzzling her head and holding on just as tight. After a while Dorothea seemed to relax, her heaving chest against Edelgard slowing down to an even pace and her muscles loosening up, still wrapped around Edelgard. The Empress stared into the dark, feeling her eyelids growing heavy as the woman in her arms seemed to fall asleep because of her doing.

_Something of your past?_

She hugged the woman softly before closing her eyes, the warmth and breathing of Dorothea lulling her to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> This has been one of the first times I ever edited a piece myself, so any suggestions (also on general writing) would be very much appreciated!
> 
> Decided not to finish this WIP. I just can't work on chapter 2 any more, so consider this piece as a finished one-shot.


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